Many thanks to Lucy Joswick and her associates at Family Futures for supplying us with much of the information. Family Futures provides many programs for local families, including Connections, a free program which helps families track their child’s growth and identify any developmental delays in their first years.

Where to Find Support for You and Your Special Needs Child

Having a child with special needs can feel pretty isolating, but it doesn’t have to be! There are numerous resources around West Michigan just waiting to serve you and connect you with the support you need.

Our hope is to provide a starting point for families that are wondering if their child needs additional services or intervention, plus a link to support groups for parents and anything else a family with special needs might want to be aware of.

We recognize that this is not a full list of special needs resources and hope you will help us grow the list. If you know of anything else that could help families with special needs, please leave us a comment below and we will add it to our guide.

If you’ve used any of these services please leave a comment and let others know how they have helped you.

And please, share this list with others so that we may make it as complete as possible.

Characteristics Often Seen in Children on the Spectrum

Have you ever met a child like this? Does your child display some of these traits?

This is just a small sample of some of the characteristics often seen in children who fall on the autism spectrum.

Autism is referred to as a “spectrum disorder” because there is such a wide variety of severity. You may have heard terms such as Asperger’s, classic autism, or high-functioning autism. All have some of the same underlying difficulties but can present themselves very differently. Some children show significant delays from a very young age. Other kids are considered “quirky” for many years, and not diagnosed until later.

Children Can Make Great Improvements

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 1 in 88 American children are on the autism spectrum. The good news? Children on the autism spectrum can make significant improvement in their ability to function at home and school and in the community. Research continues to show that early intervention for children on the autism spectrum is crucial to their success.

Just as there are differences between all kinds of kids, there are many differences between children on the autism spectrum. There is no “one size fits all” approach to their diagnosis and treatment. As a school social worker, I have worked with many students with autism over the years.

Different Methods Work With Different Kids

I have learned that certain methods (such as the use of visual supports) work for nearly all children with autism. I have also learned that you have to be creative with each kid. You have to incorporate their intense interests into therapy and start where they are.

I worked with a student several years ago who had some unique obsessions. She loved princesses, obsessively picked at the skin around her fingernails, and was terrified of the fire alarm at school.

We tried consequences for picking skin and rewards for not picking. No luck. If we told her about fire drills ahead of time, she would obsess about it all day. If we did not tell her about the fire drills she would simply rifle through every teacher’s belongings until she found the staff notes which revealed whether or not there was a fire drill that week.

Our eventual solutions? We let her wear long silky princess gloves (I think I may have worn them in my friend’s wedding many years ago) so she was unable to pick at her nails. We also made her the “fire marshall” at school and let her pull the fire alarm when it was time for a fire drill (while wearing noise-blocking headphones, of course).

It Takes a Team

Those ideas were not all mine: it took a team of us (including her parents) who were willing to work together, try lots of new ideas, and love this girl for the kid that she was.

I have seen several students on the autism spectrum make dramatic improvements over the years. It takes diligence on the part of the parents, cooperation with the school, and a whole lot of patience.

Accepting that your child is “different,” but still recognizing all of his or her talents is key. Advocating for your child in all settings (school, child care, the community, with your relatives and elsewhere) is also important.

Talk to Your Doctor

If you have concerns about your child’s development, your pediatrician is a good place to start. He or she should be able to suggest whether you should pursue further evaluation and/or treatment. Your child’s preschool, school, or local ISD are all good resources, too.

West Michigan Resources for Families with a Child on the Spectrum

Project Find (800-252-0052) or Early On can both point you in the right direction if you want to have your young child evaluated.

Special Needs Support in Greater Grand Rapids

Resources for Social, Personal and Emotional Support

Bright Beginnings – Kent ISD’s program empowers parents with the skills and tools they need to be their child’s first and best teacher. They serve children birth to kindergarten with free home visits, playgroups and screenings. 616-365-2277

Arbor Circle – Arbor Circle helps clients build coping skills through more than 50 counseling, education and prevention programs and services addressing everything from school readiness and child abuse prevention to substance use and homelessness. 616-456-6571

Help with Developmental Delays

Family Futures – Family Futures programs and resources are designed to provide a wide range of support for West Michigan parents, teens and families through education and prevention-based programming, including Connections (616-454-4673), a free program which helps families track their child’s growth and identify any developmental delays from birth to age five.

Early On – Kent ISD Early On program assists families with infants and toddlers, from birth until 36 months, who have a delay in their development or a diagnosed disability. They provide evaluations for your child’s development right in your home and if they qualify, they create a plan and provide services and support to help your child reach their full potential. 616-365-2310

Ken-O-Sha – Students who reside within Grand Rapids Public Schools are provided services in a continuum of settings including home or school buildings located throughout the district. Programs include: Early Childhood Special Education, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Emotional Impairment, Moderate Cognitive Impairment, and Resource Programs. Ken-O-Sha Early Childhood Center provides services to children birth through age five with developmental delays. (Call Child Find Hotline 616-819-3514)

HeadStart – HeadStart for Kent County’s early childhood programs focus on education, nutrition, medical and dental care, parent involvement and social service. Programs include home visits and free preschool for children ages three and four. 616-453-4145

Family Tree Therapies – Family Tree Therapies is a multidisciplinary therapy clinic specializing in occupational and speech-language therapy. 616-447-7799

Great Start to Quality – Great Start to Quality is Michigan’s tiered quality rating and improvement system that supports early childhood programs and providers in their efforts to improve their programs while helping families find and choose quality programs that meet their children’s needs. 1-877-614-7328

Michigan Alliance for Families – Astatewide resource for families of children with disabilities to help improve educational services and outcomes. 1-800-552-4821

Life Therapeutic Solutions Inc. – Provides children with personalized recreational therapy sessions including in home therapy, aquatic play, or community outings. Our Recreational therapist work on facilitating inclusion into activities your children enjoy, despite their disability. Children benefit from recreational therapy by overcoming specific obstacles to engage with their peers and environment. Email [email protected] to get started.

Parent Support and Counseling Services

MomsBloom – MomsBloom’s programs provide hands-on, nonjudgmental practical and emotional support to women and their families while rebuilding a sense of community and connecting people to each other. 616-828-1021

Spectrum Health Maternal Infant Health Program – A team of nurses, community health workers, counselors, and nutritionists who make home visits and telephone calls throughout your pregnancy and your baby’s first year, with the goal to help you to be a healthy mom who has a healthy baby. 616-391-8601

Network180 – Network180 connects individuals and their families to services for mental illness, substance use disorders or developmental disabilities. 616-336-3909

Levine Benjamin Law Firm – A social security disability firm specializing in helping individuals and families that want to apply for or have been denied benefits based off their disabilities. 1-888-613-1254

Resources for Healthcare

Medicaid – Essential health care coverage available to those who otherwise cannot afford it. Michigan has many health care programs available to children, families and adults who meet eligibility requirements. (Michigan Department of Health and Human Services – Kent County 616-248-1000)

Children’s Special Health Care Services – A program within the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services that provides certain approved medical service coverage to children and some adults with special health care needs. 1-800-359-3722.

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Kimberly is a stay at home mommy to 2 sweet and busy little ones. She enjoys DIY house projects, photography, dreaming about her next beach vacation, and trying new recipes (that her kids will inevitably NOT eat). Most of her day is spent answering the question, "Why?" Most nights she can be found staying up way too late watching reality TV shows and HGTV. She loves exploring our great city and discovering new and exciting events and activities for her family to enjoy!

3 Comments

Thanks for putting this together. Do you have any resourced for finding child care for teens or tweens with autism? I’m a single parent who has to work. I don’t qualify for respite care. I’m having a devil of a time finding a care provider for my son while I work. I live in Northern Kent County.

These look great! I just finished working on another resource that you may find helpful…It is a printable planner that parents of children with special needs can use when they leave their child in someone else’s care. It tracks mealtimes, medications, playtime, etc, and it is free. You can view it here: http://planner.thecplawyer.com/. Hope this is helpful!